Sewing machine



- March 14, 1939. T.H.DE SPAIN 2,150,494

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March 14, 1939.k

March 14, 1939. T H, DE SPAIN 2,150,494

SEWING MACHINE Filed June 20, 1958 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Il, l mi Patented Mar. 14, 1939 UNITED STATES ?ATENT OFFICE SEWING MACHINE Application June 20, 1938, Serial No. 214,833

18 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in sewing machines of the so-called looper type.

In the manufacture of hosiery and, particularly, full-fashioned hose, the leg and foot por- ',1 tions are knitted, either separately and subsequently joined together or, in some instances, they are made on what is known as a unit machine which is one adapted to knit the leg and foot portions in a continuous operation. After the leg and foot portions of the stocking have been knitted, it is necessary to rst secure together the edge portions of the knitted material at what will be the heel and toe of the stocking, after which the stocking is placed upon a seamer which forms the seam in the hole or bottom of the foot portion. The edges of the stocking, to be joined together at the heel and toe, as above mentioned, are placed on a looper machine of the type to which the present invention relates, the loops in the edges of the stocking being impaled on the work points of the looper and advanced by the work points to the sewing mechanlsm which sews or loops together the loops at the edges of the work or stocking. In placing these edges of the stocking on the looper, they are so arranged that one edge projects above the Work points further than the other. The edge which projects furthest is the raw edge and, 3 in placing it on the work points of the looper, the

operator impales the stocking at apoint approximately a quarter of an inch from the edge, this projecting quarter of an inch constituting what is termed in the industry a finger hold. The other edge is a selvage edge and is placed on` the J work points with the selvage edge quite close to the points. Heretofore, after these two edges have been looped together, it has been necessary for the operator to unravel the projecting raw edge and trim it down substantially to the seam formed by the looper. This is quite tedious because the thread in this so-called linger hold portion must be severed or cut at each side edge thereof, because the construction of the stocking is such that the thread will not freely unravel backy and forth across the linger hold portion. This trimming of the projecting edge portion has been done manually heretofore, apparently due to the fact that it has been thought impossible to automatically trim the Tinger hold portion without severing one or more stitches in the selvage edge and the primary object of the present invention is to provide a trimmer mechanism for these so-called looper machines, which will automatically trim this finger hold portion at the seam formed in the heels of full-fashioned hosiery.

A further object of the invention is to provide a trimmer mechanism for looper machines, capable of trimming one of a plural number of pieces of Work on the work points of a dial looper by displacing the edge not to be trimmed along the work points to a point where it will not be engaged by the trimmer blades.

Another object of the invention is to provide a trimmer mechanism having a reciprocating blade and means engageable with the edge of a piece of Work on the work points of the machine for moving said edge longitudinally of the work points and positioning it at a point beyond the limit of movement of the reciprocating trimmer blade.

More specifically, the invention contemplates a trimmer mechanism composed of a fixed blade and a reciprocating blade, and means movable longitudinally of the work-impaling points for engaging the edge of one piece of work on the points as it approaches the trimmer blades and moving said edge along said points, but without displacing it therefrom, to a position where it will pass beneath the reciprocating trimmer blade at a point beyond or outside the limit of movement of said blade.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a simple arrangement for mounting the reciprocating trimmer blade and providing for adjusting said blade toward and from the work-supporting means in order to vary the closeness with which the edges are to be trimmed with respect to the seam to be formed in uniting said edges.

The trimmer mechanisms usually also comprise means for removing portions of severed stitches from the trimmed edges of the work, such means usually comprising a rotary brush adapted to en- 40 gage the trimmed edges of work after they pass the trimmer mechanism, and a still further object of the invention is to provide means for adjusting the trimmer brush, whereby the pressure of the brush on the trimmed edges of the work 45 may be readily varied.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in certain details of construction and combinations and arrangements of parts, all as Will hereinafter be more fully de- 50 scribed and the novel features thereof particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating a preferred embodiment of' the invention- Figure 1 is a top plan view of a portion o-f the 55 dial of a dial looper, illustrating the assembly of the trimmer mechanism, including the trimmer blades and brush;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the apparatus illustrated in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a detail horizontal sectional View on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a sectional View taken radially of the dial on theline 4 4 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a horizontal sectional View on the line 5 5 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional view taken radially of the looper dial on the line 6 6 of Fig. 1;

Fig. '7 is a view similar to Fig. 5, illustrating the reciprocatory trimmer blade in its closed position;

Fig. 8 is a detail perspective View illustrating the assembly of the reciprocatory trimmer blade and guide member;

Fig. 9 is a detail perspective view illustrating the under surface of the Work-edge guide;

Fig. 10 is a vertical sectionalview on the line iB l ofFig. 1; y

Fig. 11 is a vertical sectional view on the line Il ll of Fig. 10; and

Fig. 12 is a detail perspective view ofl the ad- `instable sup-port for the trimmer brush shaft.

As indicated, a machine of the dial-louper typeV has been illustrated in connection with the disclosure of the present invention. As is well understood in the art, these machines comprise a dial l0, adapted to be rotated, either intermittently or continuously, and mounted at the periphery of the dial is a. circular series of work points Il, on which the loops of the mesh or knitted materials to be united are Usually, these work points areV secured to the dial by means of a ring composed of a plurality of segments I2 rmly attached by screws i3 to the dial. The under face of the dial is provided with a ring gear i4 (Fig. 4), through which it is rotated. As the present invention has to do only with the trimming mechanism, the operating connections for rotating the dial; the looping or sewing mechanism; and the drive connections therefor, are not shown. Suffice it to say that the main drive shaft is indicated at l5, it being deemed necessary to merely show that portion of the drive shaft from which the trimming mechanism is actuated.

As. previously described, the twopieces of work, for instance, the heel portions of hose, are impaled on the work points, with the selvage edge i6 lying quite close to the upper surface of the points, but with the unfinished or raw edge l1 projecting a considerable distance above the points. As the dial is rotated, in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. l, the two edges of the work are rst carried past the trimmer knives and then beneath the brush for removing split stitches before the work reaches the sewing or looping mechanism proper. It is, of course, essential, that the work be trimmed quite close Vto the seam tol be formed by the looping mechanism but, at the Vsame time, it is absolutely necessary to prevent cutting of the selvage edge during the trimming operation, as the severance of a single stitch in the selvage edge would render the stocking or work unsalable. To accomplish this result, means are provided for altering the location of the selvage edge on the work points with respect to the raw edge as the work approaches the trimming mechanism so as to prevent the trimmer blades, or at least the cutting edges thereof, coming into contact with, or engaging, the selvage edge.- As shown more particularly impaled.

in Figs. 4 to 9, there are two trimmer blades-one blade I8 being xed in a support i9 on an arm 2G mounted on the bed plate 2i of the machine, the other blade 22 being firmly secured in a block 23 on an arm 24 journaled on a shaft 25, said arm constituting one arm of a bell crank lever comprising a hub portion 26 by which the arm is mounted on shaft 25, and a second arm 2'! to which one end of a connecting rod 28 is attached. The opposite end of the connecting rod 28 is eccentrically mounted or secured to the end of the drive shaft l5, the degree of eccentricity determining the throw which Will be imparted to the trimmer blade 22 as the latter is reciprocated upon the rocking motion of arm 24. One extreme of the reciprocatory movement of this movable trimmer blade is. illustrated in Fig. 5, the blades being shown open, and the other, or inner limit of movement, in Fig. 7.V In machines of the dial-looper type, this reciprocatory movement of the blade 22 will be radially of the dial and, in practically all instances where the mechanism might be used, it will be longitudinally of the work-impaling pins. In the preferred arrangement for altering the location of the selvage edge of the one piece of work, as it approaches the trimming mechanism, so that it will pass beneath the reciprocatory knife and beyond the extreme movement of said knife, a deflector or guide member is adapted tov engage said selvage edge as it approaches the trimmer blade and move it radially outwardly or longitudinally of the work-impaling points. In practical operation, the best results have been secured by mounting o n the block 23 a deflector member of the construction best shown in Figs. 7 to 9. Said deflector might conveniently be described as consisting of a body portion 29 by which it is secured in block 23, and a laterally-offset, plate-like portion 30 normally disposed substantially circumferentially of the circular series of work points. Formed on the inner radial edge of the delector is a depending flange 3|, preferably somewhat tapered at its advance end with respect to the approaching pieces of work. The adjustment of the deflector in block 23 is such that this iiange 3| is so located radially, or lengthwise, of the work-impaling points that, as the two pieces of Work pass the advance end of the flange, said ange will enter between the selvage edge I6 of one piece of work and the raw edge I7 of the other piece of work and, by reason of the reciprocatory motion imparted to said deflector, the selvage edge will be moved outwardly radially or longitudinally of the work points. be stated that the adjustment of the delector in the block 23 is such Vthat the flange 3l is also located somewhat radially outwardly or beyond the cutting edge of the reciprocatory trimmer blade, so that the outward throw or movement of the deflector will insure the selvage edge l5 being moved radially outward along the work points to a position where, as it continues to advance, it will pass beneath the reciprocatory blade 22 at a point outside or radially beyond the outer limit of movement of said blade. Thus, it is impossible for the blade 22 to ever engage or injure the selvage edge and, by reason of the fact that the selvage edge is moved out of the path of the cutting edge of blade 22 long before it reaches said blade, it is possible to have the blade soV positioned with respect to the work points as to trim the raw edge Il very close to said work points.

In order to alter the position of the reciprocatory trimmer blade vertically with respect to It should also the Work points, so that the trimmer may be rendered inoperative temporarily independently of its drive connections, if desired, the shaft 25, which is journaled in vertically spaced bearings in a support 32 mounted on the bracket arm 20, is also capable of an axial movement in said bearings. The shaftis yieldingly held depressed by a coil spring 33 on shaft 25r between the hub portion 26 of the bell crank lever and the upper bearing in support 32 and the upper end of the shaft projects some distance above said upper bearing and has threaded thereon a sleevecr collar 34 by which the shaft may be grasped and moved axially in its bearings. Interposed between the sleeve 34 and upper bearing in support 32 is a ring or annular member 35 slotted as at 3G and also provided on its upper surface with a radially extending recess 31, the slot 36 being adapted to receive a pin 38 protruding from the shaft 25 when the shaft is in its lowermost position and the recess 31 being adapted to receive said pin and hold the shaft slightly elevated, when desired. It will be understood that the ring is loose on shaft 25 and, by raising the shaft to withdraw the pin 33 from slot 36, the ring 35 can be rotated to move recess 31 into registry with said pin. Thus, the reciprocatory trimmer blade and deflector member ar-e capable of vertical adjustment. v

Adjustment of the trimmer blades vertically with respect to the work points and work for varying the closeness with which the work is trimmed, is accomplished by having bracket arm 20 adjustably mounted on the bed plate lll. Referring particularly tol Figs. l, 2 and 5, a block 51 fixed on said bed plate is formed with a vertical slot 58 adapted to receive a boss or projection 59 on the arm 20. Boss 59 is formed with a threaded terminal portion extending through a plate 69 at one side of the slotted block and by taking up on a nut 6| on said threaded terminal and bearing against said plate, thebracket arm can be securely clamped against the block 5?. Boss 59 is also formed with` a threaded. opening adapted to receive a vertically disposed adjusting screw 62 journaled in the upper portion of block 51. Said screw 62 is formed with a collar 63 secured between the upper surface of the block and a plateI or cap piece 64 secured on said block. Thus, the adjusting screw is held against axial movement in the block but is free to be rotated so that by loosening the nut 6I on the threaded terminal of boss 59, the bracket arm can be adjusted vertically by turning screw E2. As previously described the bracket 20 carries the rocker arm in which the reciprocatory trimmer blade is mounted and, as illustrated in Fig. 4, the fixed blade I8 is secured by a screw 95 in its support I9 on said bracket. Hence, vertical movement of bracket 20 varies the positions of both blades vertically with respect to the work points.

As will be understood, when the edges have been trimmed, by passing between the trimmer blades, each edge will retain portions of thread by reason of the individual stitches inf the trimmed fabric having been cut and, to remove these small bits of thread from the work before the latter reaches the looping or sewing mechanism, said edges are caused to pass beneath a rotary brush 39. As shown more particularly in Figs. 1, 2 and 10 to 12, brush 39 is mounted on a shaft 49 journaled in an elongated bearing 4I, with the end of the shaft projecting somewhat beyond the bearing for attachment of an arm 42 to which one end of a connecting rod 43 is attached. The other end of said connecting rod 43 is attached to a crank 44 mounted on a shaft 45, driven through gears 46, 41, on said shaft 45 and drive shaft I5, respectively, whereby rotary motion of shaft 45 will impart a rocking motion to shaft of the brush and the latter will be oscillated back and forth. The lower peripheral portion of the brush is located in a plane to `engage the projecting edges of the work on the work points, with sufficient pressure to thoroughly remove loose pieces of thread from the trimmed work. In order to vary the pressure of the brush on the work, either for the purpose of more thoroughly removing the loose ends of thread or for the purpose of compensating for vertical adjustment of the trimmer blades, the block in which bearing 4I for the brush shaft is formed is pro-vided with vertically-spaced, bifurcated, lateral extensions 48, 49, adapted to receive between their bifurcations a screw 5G which carries collar 5l positioned between the upper and lower extensions. Screw 59 is threaded in a plate 52 rigidly secured by ascrew 53 inthe supporting bracket arm 54, which is also mounted on the bed plate 2|. As will be apparent from an inspection of Fig. 11, rotation of screw 59 in one direction or the other will raise or lower shaft and brush 39, the guard 55 for the brush being slotted as at 56 to permit this vertical adjustment of the brush.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that it can be said that, regardless of the height of the selvage edge l5 or the distance that edge projects above the work points Il, the present trimming mechanism is capable of trimming the edge of the other piece of work as close to the work points as might be desired. It will also be appreciated that, while the present trimmer mechanism, including the deector member, has been described specifically in conjunction with a machine of the dial-looper type and the production of hosiery, nevertheless, said mechanism is not limited to this particular adaptation.

What I claim is:

l. In a sewing machine comprising a series of wo-rk points adapted toreceive loops of two pieces of work to be united, means movable transversely of the edges of the work for moving the loops of one piece of work away from those of the other piece longitudinally of said work points, and a trimmer blade engageable with'the said other piece of work only.

2. In a sewing machine comprising a series of work points adapted to receive loops of two pieces of work to be united and a trimmer mechanism for trimming the edge of only one of said pieces of work, said trimmer mechanism comprising a blade movable longitudinally of the work points, means movable transversely of the edges of the work for moving the loops of the other piece of work longitudinally of the work points to a position beyond the limit of travel of said movable blade.

3. In a sewing machine comprising a series of Work points adapted to have loops of two pieces of work impaled thereon and a trimmer mechanism comprising a reciprocating blade, guide means for guiding the loops of one piece of work on said points in a path lying beneath said reciprocating blade beyond the limits of travel thereof and means for reciprocating the said guide means transversely of the edges of said work.

4. In a sewing machine comprising a rotatable dial, a series of work impaling points disposed radially of the dial and a trimmer mechanism comprising a reciprocatory blade movable radially of the dial longitudinally of said points, and guide means movable in unison with said blade transversely of the edges of the work and engageable with the edge of a piece of work on said points for moving said edge longitudinally of said points beyond the radial outer limit of movement -of said trimmer blade.

5. In a sewing machine comprising a rotatable dial and a series of work impaling points carried by said dial and disposed radially thereof, said points being adapted to receive loops of two pieces of work to be united, a trimmer mechanism comprising a reciprocatory blade movable radially of the dial longitudinally of the points in a plane intersecting the edges of work protruding above said points, and means located radially beyond the cutting edge of said blade for moving the edge of one piece of work longitudinally of the work points beyond the outer radial limit of movement of said reciprocatory blade as said piece of work approaches said blade.

6. In a trimmer mechanism for sewing machines for uniting the edge portions of plural pieces of fabric, a reciprocatory trimmer bladeI guide means engageable with the edge of one of the pieces of work, and means for reciprocating said guide means to direct work engaged by the guide past said trimmer blade in a path situated beneath said blade and beyond the limits of the reciprocatory movement of said blade.

7. In a trimmer mechanism for sewing machines having a revolving series of work points on which plural pieces of work are suspended by loops in the edge portions of said work with said edge portions projecting above said points, a reciprocatory trimmer blade positioned above said points in a plane normally intersecting the projecting edges of the work, and a guide engageable with the edge of one piece of work above the work points, said guide deflecting said edge beneath said trimmer blade at a point beyond the limit of movement of said blade.

8. In atrimmer mechanism for sewing machines having a revolving series of work points on which plural pieces of work are suspended by loops in the edge portions of said Work with said edge portions projecting above said points, a reoiprocatory trimmer blade positioned above said points in a plane normally intersecting the projecting edges of the work, and a guide engageable with the edge of one piece of work above the work points, said guide being composed of a plate positioned between said blade and work points and formed with a depending edge portion extending in a line beyond the limit of `movement of said trimmer blade.

9. In a trimmer mechanism for sewing machines having a revolving series of work points on which plural pieces of work are suspended by loops in the edge portions of said work with said edge portions projecting above said work points, a trimmer mechanism comprising a reciprocatory blade normally positioned in a plane intersecting the projecting edge portions of the work, a rocker arm in which said blade is mounted, and a shaft on which said arm is mounted, said shaft being movable axially to remove said blade from the plane in which it is normally positioned.

l0. A trimmer mechanism for sewing machines having work points adapted to impale loops-of plural pieces of work to be united, said mechanism comprising a reciprocatory blade movable longitudinally of said points in a plane intersecting projecting edges of work on said points, a

rocker arm on which said blade is mounted, and means carried by said rocker arm engageable with the edge of one piece of work on said points to move the same longitudinally Von said points beyond the limit of travel of said reciprocatory blade.

11. A trimmer mechanism for sewing machines having work points adapted to impale loops of two pieces of work to be united, said mechanism comprising a rocker arm, a trimmer blade secured to said arm and movable by said arm longitudinally of said work points in a plane intersecting edges of said Work, and a plate mounted on said rocker and movable with said blade, said plate having an oiset portion engageable between the edges of two pieces of work on the work points.

12. A trimmer mechanism for sewing machines having work points adapted to impale loops at the edges of two pieces of work to be united, said mechanism comprisingV a blade, means for reciprocating said blade longitudinally of the work points, and means engageable with the edge of one of said pieces of work and movable longitudinally of the work .points to move the edges of the two pieces cf work away from each other and position the edge of the work engaged thereby on said points beyond the limit of movement of the reciprocatory blade. Y

13. A trimmer mechanism for sewing machines having work points adapted to impale loops at the edges of two pieces of Work to be united, said mechanism comprising a reciprocatory trimmer blade, a deector member engageable between the edges of the two pieces, and means for Yreciprocating said deflector transversely of said work edges to move said edges away from each other, the limit of movement of said deflector in one direction being located beyond and to the rear of the cutting edge of the reciprocatory trimmer blade.

14. In a sewing machine having a traveling series of Work engaging points and a trimming mechanism comprising trimmer blades and a rotary brush for removing severed threads from the trimmed edges of work on said work points, the combination of means for adjusting said brush relatively to said work points, said means comprising a shaft on which said brush is mounted, a bearing block in which said shaft is journaled, spaced upper vand lower extensions on said block, a screw member, an enlargement on said screw rotatably secured between said upper and lower extensions, and a fixed support in which said screw is threaded.

15. In a sewing machine having a traveling series of work engaging points and a trimming mechanism comprising trimmer blades and a rotary brush for removing severed threads from the trimmed edges of work on said work points, the combination of means for adjusting said brush relatively to said work points, said means comprising a xed support, a screw member threaded in said support, a bearing block carried by said screw, said screw being rotatable in said block, means for preventing movement of the block axially of the screw, and a shaft for said brush journaled in said bearing block.

16. In a trimmer mechanism for sewing machines comprising a movable series of work points and a support for said work points, the combination of a bracket, means for adjusting said bracket toward and from said support and work points, a trimmer blade fixed in said bracket, a shaft carried by said bracket, means for rocking said shaft,

an arm mounted on said shaft, and a second trimmer blade mounted on said arm.

17. In a trimmer mechanism for sewing machines comprising a movable series of Work points and a support for said Work points, the combination of a guide member mounted on said support, a bracket, a screw in said guide member engaging said bracket, said bracket being movable in said member by rotation of said screw, a trimmer blade xed in said bracket, a shaft journaled in said bracket, a bell-crank lever mounted on said shaft, and a second trimmer blade mounted in one arm of said bell-crank lever.

18. A trimmer mechanism for sewing machines having a circular series of Work-impaling points, said mechanism comprising a reciprocatory trimmer blade movable radially of the series of Work points, a work edge deector iiXed with respect to said blade but spaced radially from the cutting edge of the blade relatively to said series of work points, and means for reciprocating said delector radially of the series of Work points.

THOMAS H. DE SPAIN. 

